Seniors' Discovery Fair in Scarborough!

This Thursday, September 26, come join us for our Seniors' Discovery Fair!

 

This free event is a great chance to learn more about what services are offered specifically for older adults, right here in Scarborough. Come talk to representatives from agencies like Toronto Public Health and The Canadian Hearing Society, just to name two. There will be refreshments and the chance to win great prizes, so come by and find out what is available in your community.

Older adults are a huge part of Toronto, and it's a group that is expected to grow dramatically in the next ten years. Whether you're a senior yourself, are caring for aging parents or grandparents, or work with older adults, it's always a good idea to know what services are available. This includes health care,
housing, and social events too.

In addition to fairs like this, there are many aspects of senior living:
Toronto has its own Seniors' Forum, comprised of active seniors from around the city (and they recruit volunteers -- a great idea for those interested!) 

Don't forget to check out what's new at the library itself too: We will have a table set up where we can introduce you to upcoming library programs and services. For example, you can check out how to access Zinio, a new online magazine database that allows you access to current magazine issues online, free of charge with an active library card. Zinio is a great service for users of all ages, but can be particularly helpful for seniors who would like to enjoy popular magazine titles at home, or be able to do specific things like enlarge print and zoom in for reading ease. 

 

The Seniors' Discovery Fair at the Cedarbrae Branch will run from 2 to 4:30 PM on Thursday September 26th in our Program Room, on the first floor. Everyone is welcome, so we hope to see you
there!

Fall 2013 Programs for Adults and Seniors at Albert Campell Branch

And we're back! Our doors are open again after a two-week closure for the installation of Express Checkout and a minor renovation. If you haven't been in yet, why not drop by to see our new look, say hello, find something good to read, or sign up for one of our upcoming programs? We have lots of free programs and workshops for adults of all ages coming up this fall. Check it out!

To register for any of our programs please visit us or call 416-396-8890

Download ACD 2013 September Adult Children Teens Calendar (PDF)

Download ACD 2013 October Adult Children Teens Calendar (PDF)

 

BOOK CLUBS

• Mandarin Book Club - Join us and share the joy of reading Chinese books at each monthly meeting. Tuesdays, October 8, November 5, December 3, 6: 30-8: 00 p.m. 

• Adult Book Club - Join us for a lively group discussion of a specific book at each meeting. Wednesdays, September 25, October 23, November 27, 7:00-8:00 p.m.

• Seniors' Book Club - Open to all interested seniors. Fridays September 27, October 25, November 29, 2:00-4:00 p.m.

 

BUSINESS, LEGAL, and PERSONAL FINANCE

 

• Common-Law Couples Financial Planning Advice - Living common-law has its own unique set of financial consequences that need to be carefully considered. Come and learn a few tips for making the relationship work, financially! Wednesday October 9, 6:30-8:00 p.m.

• Prepare for the Driving Test for Seniors Turning 80 - A representative from the Ontario Ministry of Transportation will provide a review of the Official Driver's Handbook and assist participants in preparing for the senior driving license test. Tuesday October 15, 2:00-3:00 p.m.

• Money Talk for Women - Learn what impact a longer projected life expectancy and possible time away from the workforce can have on your financial plans. Tuesday October 22, 6:30-8:00 p.m.

• Business Plans: Your Road Map to Success! - Business coach David Cohen presents a worskhop on how to write an effective business plan. Thursday October 24, 6:00-8:00 p.m.

• Starting a Small Business - Gain strategic information and practical tips about the benefits of self-employment, sources of financing, the impact on taxation, and more. Tuesday October 29, 2:00-4:00 p.m.

• Money Management and Budgeting - Learn how to create a realistic budget, manage your credit cards responsibly, and how to reach your financial goals. Wednesday November 6, 2:00-4:00 p.m.

 

CAREER and JOB SEARCH

• Explore Employment Services: Second Career and More! - Find out what Employment Ontario programs are out there, their eligibility criteria, and the application process. Wednesday September 18, 2:00-4:00 p.m.

• Social Media Networking - Find out how social media can help job seekers communicate online and share career-related information. Tuesday October 8, 2:00-4:00 p.m.

• Resumes That Get Results - A representative from Centennial College Job Connect will instruct participants on how to create effective resumes and cover letters. Bring your resume and/or cover letter for feedback and tips for improvement. Wednesday October 16, 2:00-4:00 p.m.

• Impress Those Interviewers! - Prepare for a job interview, discuss common interview questions and answers, and get practice through role-play. Wednesday November 20, 2:00-4:00 p.m.

• Networking and Communication - Learn how to: Develop the confidence to effectively express your thoughts; expand your industry-specific knowledge and terminology; get and stay connected with professionals in your field; gain valuable knowledge about communication norms and etiquette. Wednesday November 27, 2:00-4:00 p.m.

 

COMPUTER and LIBRARY TRAINING

• Move That Mouse! - Learn basic mouse and keyboard skills in this hands-on class. Thursday September 19, 1:30-3:00 p.m.

• Web Basics I - Explore the Internet using web addresses and search engines. Basic keyboarding and mouse skills are required. Thursday September 26, 1:30-3:00 p.m. and Thursday October 31, 1:30-3:00 p.m.

• Web Basics II - Learn more about search enginges and the library website. Prerequisite: Web Basics I. Thursday October 10, 1:30-3:00 p.m.

• Email Made Easy - Learn to use web-based email services, set up a free email account, and send your first message. Thursday October 17, 1:30-3:00 p.m.

• Blogging Basics - Learn how to set up a blog using Blogger. Thursday October 24, 1:30-3:00 p.m.

• Book a Librarian - Meet one-on-one with a librarian for 30 minutes to help find job search information, create an email account, navigate the library's website, download eBooks to your mobile device, and more.
  
  • Monday September 23 between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. 
  • Wednesday September 25 between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon
  • Wednesday October 23 between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon

• Cell Phone Workshop for Seniors - Having trouble using your cell phone? We can help! Older adults will learn cell phone basics, how to use phone features, and participate in an interactive activity. Please bring your cell phone with you. Tuesday October 8, 2:00-6:00 p.m.

 

NEWCOMER and ESL PROGRAMS

• Newcomer Settlement Services - New to Canada? Speak to a Settlement Worker for information on employment, housing, language learning, schools, getting a library card, finding books in your home language and other topics. Tuesdays to December 17, 9:00-11:00 a.m.

• English Conversation Group - Learn about Canadian culture and practice your English communication skills in an encouraging and supportive environment. Tuesdays to December 17, 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

 

HEALTH and WELLNESS

• Yoga and Meditation - Relax, renew, and reflect. Learn simple meditation exercises and tension-relieving stretches from a yoga instructor. Relieve your stress and anxiety and restore your sense of well-being and calm. Saturdays, September 21, October 19, November 16, 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. 

 

HOBBIES, CRAFTS, and GAMES

• Seniors' Board Games - Seniors and older adults are invited to have fun with board games, including Uno, Jenga, Dominos, Taboo, Cards, Monopoly, Chess, and more. Join us to share your expertise, learn something new, and have fun! Fridays, September 13, October 11, and November 15,  2:00-3:00 p.m.

• Seniors' Films - Join us for our series featuring films about and starring seniors. We'll show classics, new release and movies of the season. Fridays, September 20, October 18, November 22, 2:00-4:00 p.m.

• Culture Days: Origami Workshop - Lean the traditional Japanese art of paper folding! Participants will be taught basic origami principals and folding techniques. Saturday September 28, 10:00 a.m.-12:00 noon.
  

Snapshots in History: September 10: Remembering Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797)

(Source: Wikipedia – URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wollstonecraft2.JPG  - Plaque of Mary Wollstonecraft at her last residence, The Polygon, where she died in 1797 – Photographer: Ellaroth (Taken on 9 January 2011))

 

On September 10 and beyond, take a moment to remember author, philosopher, and women’s rights advocate Mary Wollstonecraft (Born: April 27, 1759; Died: September 10, 1797). Wollstonecraft authored two novels (one complete, one incomplete), treatises, a travel narrative, a historical account of the French Revolution, a book of conduct, and a children’s book. More recently, Mary Wollstonecraft is best known for her polemical, political works A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792) ((a response to Jean-Jacques Rousseau and his work Émile that argued for sufficient education for women to facilitate support to rational men) in which she argued that women are not naturally inferior to men but differences could occur, owing to a lack of education. She saw men and women as being rational with reason being the basis for any social order.) and A Vindication of the Rights of Men (written anonymously in 1790 as a response to Edmund Burke’s reflections on the French Revolution that argued for the status quo as human nature could not undertake too much change. Mary Wollstonecraft was already immersed in the milieu of the Enlightenment and its desire for progress.)

Her travel narrative (with elements of an autobiographical memoir), Letters Written During a Short Residence in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark (1796), provided sociological analysis of the Scandinavian countries and their peoples as well as dealing with philosophical questions regarding identity. Initially, Mary Wollstonecraft undertook the journey on behalf of her lover Gilbert Imlay (and the father of her first daughter, Fanny Imlay) to recover a stolen treasure ship. Wollstonecraft hoped that undertaking this mission would help to repair her strained relationship with Imlay. Unfortunately, the relationship remained in ruins and some of the letters by Mary Wollstonecraft reflected her sadness and anger at what she viewed as Imlay’s betrayal. (Wollstonecraft attempted suicide twice.) This work, the last of her writings published during her life, attracted the admiration and attention of William Godwin with whom she was already acquainted. Godwin and Wollstonecraft began a relationship that became passionate over time with Mary expecting another child. Godwin and Wollstonecraft married so that their child (her second child), Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin (later to become author Mary Shelley of Frankenstein fame), would be born legitimate in societal eyes. Godwin was criticized by some friends for going against his previous advocacy of the abolition of marriage but went ahead anyways with Mary and William residing in adjoining houses for the purpose of retaining some degree of independence. Unfortunately, on August 30, 1797, during the birth of their daughter Mary, the placenta broke apart and infection ensued with Mary Wollstonecraft dying of sepsis on September 10, 1797.

Godwin was devastated at Mary Wollstonecraft’s death; in January 1798, Godwin published his book Memoirs of the Author of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman as a tribute. (Click here to access the eBook version of William Godwin’s work available on Project Gutenberg.) Consider the following titles by and about Mary Wollstonecraft for loan from Toronto Public Library collections:

 

Collected letters of Mary Wollstonecraft / Mary Wollstonecraft; edited by Ralph M. Wardle, 1979. Book. Adult Non-Fiction. 921 WOL / 828 WOLLSTONECRAFT

 

 

Letters on Sweden, Norway, and Denmark [online resource] / Mary Wollstonecraft; Project Gutenberg, 2002. eBook. Adult Non-Fiction.

 

 

Letters written during a short residence in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark / Mary Wollstonecraft; edited by Tone Brekke and Jon Mee, 2009. Book. Adult Non-Fiction. 828.609 WOL

 

 

Mary, a fiction and The wrongs of woman, or, Maria / Mary Wollstonecraft; edited by Michelle Faubert, 2012. Book. Adult Fiction (catalogued as Adult Non-Fiction). 823.6 WOL

 

 

Mary; and, The wrongs of woman [Rev. and corrected., rev. ed.] / Mary Wollstonecraft; edited by Gary Kelly, 2007. Adult Fiction. FICTION WOL

 

 

Maria, or the Wrongs of woman [online resource] / Mary Wollstonecraft / Mary Wollstonecraft; Project Gutenberg, 2006. eBook. Adult Fiction.

 

(In Mary: a fiction (1788), a self-taught, rational heroine was compelled into a loveless marriage for economic reasons but entered into two romantic relationships, one with a man and one with a woman. Maria, or, The Wrongs of Woman (published posthumously in 1798) was intended to be a fictional sequel to her polemic A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. The character Maria is imprisoned by her husband in an insane asylum but is befriended by Jemima, who is charged with watching over Maria in the asylum.)

 

 

A most extraordinary pair: Mary Wollstonecraft and William Godwin [1st ed.]/ Jean Detre, 1975. Book. Adult Non-Fiction. 828 GOD DET

 

 

A vindication of the rights of woman: an authoritative text backgrounds and contexts criticism [3rd ed.] / Mary Wollstonecraft; edited by Deidre Shauna Lynch, 2009. Book. Adult Non-Fiction. 305.42094 WOL

 

 

 

A vindication of the rights of woman [Rev. ed.] / Mary Wollstonecraft, 2004. Book. Adult Non-Fiction. 305.42 WOL

 

 

A vindication of the rights of men, in a letter to the right honourable Edmund Burke; occasioned by his reflections on the revolution in France and ; A vindication of the rights of woman with strictures on political and moral subjects / Mary Wollstonecraft; edited by D.L. Macdonald and Kathleen Scherf, 1997. Book. Adult Non-Fiction. 323 WOL 

 

 

A vindication of the rights of men; with, A vindication of the rights of woman, and Hints / Mary Wollstonecraft; edited by Sylvana Tomaselli, 1995. Book. Adult Non-Fiction. 323 WOL

More Books on Film at TIFF 2013

Welcome to part two of my round-up of books on film at this year's Toronto International Film Festival. Last week, I looked at fiction books on the big screen. This week: non-fiction books on film at TIFF 2013!

 

 Devil's Knot

Based on the chilling true crime events in Devil's Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three by Mara Leveritt.

In 1993, three eight-year-old boys were murdered in the tightly knit community of West Memphis, Arkansas, and three teenage boys were convicted of the brutal crime. Atom Egoyan directs Reese Witherspoon and Colin Firth in this dramatization of the aftermath of those notorious murders, based on award-winning investigative reporter Mara Leveritt's account of the case and the wrongful conviction of the teens. Her book is both exhaustively researched (430 footnotes!) and an engrossing read. You can find out more about the West Memphis Three in the excellent documentary trilogy Paradise Lost and the recently published Life After Death by Damien Echols, deemed "the ringleader" of the three teenagers, all of whom were released from prison in 2011, but not officially exonerated.    

 

The Fifth Estate

Based on the behind-the-scenes memoir Inside Wikileaks: My Time with Julian Assange at the World's Most Dangerous Website by Daniel Domscheit-Berg (also: ebook) and the exposé Wikileaks: Inside Julian Assange's War on Secrecy by David Leigh and Luke Harding.

Benedict Cumberbatch plays hacker/activist Julian Assange in this investigative thriller - selected for the opening slot at TIFF - about the rise and fall of WikiLeaks. The international non-profit organization has published thousands of classified documents, including nearly 750,000 United States military documents and diplomatic communications - the largest leak of government secrets in American history. The film is adapted from two books, both written by people whose close working relationships with WikiLeaks founder Assange have since soured: Domscheit-Berg, a former WikiLeaks spokesperson; and Leigh, the Guardian journalist who handled the release of the US intelligence leaks to the press.

 

The Invisible Woman

Based on the biography of Charles Dickens' mistress The Invisible Woman: The Story of Nelly Ternan and Charles Dickens by Claire Tomalin (also: ebook).

When Charles Dickens was 45 - at the height of his popularity, married for over 20 years, and the father of ten children - he fell in love with actress Nelly Ternan, just 17 years old. Ralph Fiennes both directs and stars in this period drama that chronicles their secret romance which lasted from their first meeting in 1857 until Dickens' death in 1870. The award-winning book by literary biographer Tomalin was called "a remarkable feat of biographical sleuthing" by Publisher's Weekly, and includes vivid descriptions of theatre life in the Victorian era, as well as speculation about a child who may have been born, and died, to the illicit couple.

Kill Your Darlings

 

Based on the murder of David Kammerer by Lucien Carr, written about in the novel And the Hippos Were Boiled in Their Tanks by Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs and also in Mania: The Story of the Outraged and Outrageous Lives That Launched a Cultural Revolution by Ronald K. L. Collins and David M. Skover.

This one isn't, strictly speaking, based on a book , but it's sure to be of interest to book lovers and Beat aficionados. Daniel Radcliffe plays a young Allen Ginsberg in this stylish murder/mystery/biopic that explores the shocking murder of David Kammerer, a friend of William S. Burroughs, by the devilishly charismatic Lucien Carr, a force of transgressive nature and an adored inspiration to the radical young poets of the Beat Generation. You can read about the events of that summer in 1944 in two books: the atmospheric, sex-, art-, and drug-fuelled And the Hippos Were Boiled in Their Tanks, written in alternating chapters by Burroughs and Jack Kerouac, and Mania, a novelistic recreation of the lives of the Beats that covers all the sordid countercultural insanity experienced by the young iconoclasts at the time, as chronicled in their letters, diaries, and creative works.

 

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

 

Based on the moving autobiography Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela (also: ebook | eaudiobook).

Idris Elba (who I would watch reading the phone book) stars in this epic biopic of the deeply beloved and truly remarkable political revolutionary and eventual president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela. Mandela began writing his autobiography in 1975, during his 27-year imprisonment, and in it he chronicles the formidible struggles he faced during his life, as well as the struggles of his country to overcome apartheid, one of the most effective systems of oppression in history. A powerful, inspirational book that is sure to stir your heart and open your eyes.

 

MARY Queen of Scots

 

Based on the 1935 biography Mary, Queen of Scotland and the Isles by Stefan Zweig.

Swiss filmmaker Thomas Imbach directs the young French actress Camille Rutherford in this sympathetic psychological portrait of the tragic Scottish queen. Mary Stuart was just six days old when she was named to the throne of Scotland in 1542, 16 years old when she became queen consort of France, widowed at 18, then exiled, and executed, age 44, at the hands of her powerful cousin Elizabeth. There have been dozens of works written about or inspired by Mary Stuart over the years; this film was adapted from famed Austrian writer Stefan Zweig's 1935 biography, a bestseller in Germany and France but out of print until recently in North America and the UK. If you are interested in reading more about the quintessential Scottish queen, check out Mary Queen of Scots by Antonia Fraser or My Heart is My Own by John Guy.

 

Parkland

Based on the acclaimed anti-conspiracy book Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy by Vincent Bugliosi.

An ensemble cast, led by Paul Giametti, Billy Bob Thornton, and Marcia Gay Harden, stars in this dramatic procedural about the doctors and other ordinary people working at Parkland Memorial Hospital on the day that John F. Kennedy was shot and then, just 48 hours later, Lee Harvey Oswald. The film was adapted from the massive, painstakingly assembled 1,612-page tome by Bugliosi, the attorney and writer perhaps best known for prosecuting Charles Manson and writing the definitive book on that subject, Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders.

 

Philomena

Based on the poignant true story The Lost Child of Philomena Lee: A Mother, Her Son, and a Fifty Year Search by Martin Sixsmith.

The brilliant Stephen Frears directs the equally brilliant Judi Dench and Steve Coogan in this powerful drama about an unmarried Irish Catholic woman and the BBC reporter who helps her find the son she was forced to give up decades before. That reporter was Martin Sixsmith, whose book chronicles her search and the eventual reunion of mother and son, who had been sold by nuns to America for adoption and grew up to be a successul lawyer for the Republican Party, and a closeted gay man. A heartbreaking exposé of the shocking illicit trade in illegitimate children carried out regularly by the Catholic Church during the 1950s, as well as the social and political cruelties of the Reagan administration during the early years of the HIV epidemic in America.

 

The Railway Man

Based on the harrowing memoir The Railway Man: A POW's Searing Account of War, Brutality, and Forgiveness by Eric Lomax.

Colin Firth stars as Eric Lomax, a quiet railway enthusiast and former British soldier whose terrifying nightmares alarm his new wife, played by Nicole Kidman, prompting her search for information and understanding. This film is based on the true story of Lomax, who was captured by the Japanese army during WWII, held as a prisoner of war, and forced to work on the Burma Railway, also known as the Death Railway, on which an estimated 100,000 civilian labourers and POWs died during its construction. Lomax's powerful, award-winning memoir recounts his experiences before, during, and after the war, including his incredible reconciliation with one of his former torturers, interpreter Takashi Nagase, who passed away at age 92, just one year before Lomax, who passed last year, age 93.

 

12 Years a Slave

Based on the shocking real-life account 12 Years a Slave by Solomon Northup. (also: eaudiobook; public domain ebooks)

Directed by Steve McQueen and starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Paul Giamatti, and - in a small role as a Canadian abolitionist - Brad Pitt, this film dramatizes the horrifying true story of a free violinist living in 1841 New York who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in the Deep South. Solomon Northup spent the next twelve years of his life in bondage on a cotton plantation in Louisiana, enduring crushing labour, brutal humiliation, and sadistic punishment. When this eloquent, unflinching account of his experience was published - soon after Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin - The Buffalo Express wrote: "We hope it will be universally read. If we do not sadly err, it will prove of vast service in the great cause of freedom. If there are those who can peruse it unmoved, we pity them." Northrup's experience was previously dramatized in the PBS television movie Solomon Northup's Odyssey; to learn more, visit the Twelve Years a Slave website.

 

And that's a wrap. Happy film fest everyone! See you at the movies - or somewhere in the stacks...